North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – May 17, 2026
Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State
Drought Impact (County Reported)
Select a level to isolate it on the map.
Comment Signal
Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Some relief / conditions improving
Uneven rainfall / mixed conditions
Persistent drought / little change
Map of county-reported drought impact
Every county on this map is listed, grouped by impact level, at the end of this page under “View county data as a list”.
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Statewide Trends
Subsoil moisture is low to nonexistent across many reporting counties, increasing drought stress on non‑irrigated crops.
Hay and pastures statewide show severe stress, with reports of significant bulk losses and more producers feeding hay.
Irrigation ponds and private wells are running low or failing in parts of the Piedmont, raising local water supply concerns.
Planting of grain and soybean acres has been delayed or suspended in several counties due to hard, dry soils.
Top Statewide Concerns
- Pasture and hay losses
- Delayed or suspended planting
- Low subsoil moisture
- Declining ponds and wells
- Seedling and ornamental losses
- Reduced stream and spring flows
Regional summaries
West / Mountains & Foothills
(Avery, Burke, Gaston, McDowell, Swain, Yancey)
- Extreme to exceptional drought reported in multiple mountain counties, with very dry soils to depth.
- Pastures and hay fields are severely affected, with reported bulk losses and slowed grass growth.
- Irrigated vegetable acres largely unaffected in some areas, while Christmas tree seedlings and ornamentals are struggling.
Piedmont / Sandhills
(Caswell, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rowan)
- Widespread extreme to severe drought forcing delayed or suspended planting of grains and soybeans in several counties.
- Pastures and hay are stressed, causing increased feeding needs and lower hay yields.
- Irrigation ponds and private wells are below average or failing in parts, though irrigated produce looks good where water is available.
North & Central Coastal Plain
(Beaufort, Camden, Craven, Franklin, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Perquimans, Washington)
- Extreme to severe drought in several coastal plain counties with very limited subsoil moisture.
- Hay, grasslands and pastures are being hit hard and planting of soybeans and grains has been delayed or put on hold.
- Some coastal counties are only abnormally dry so far and irrigated crops are not yet showing stress.
Southeast Coastal Plain
(Duplin)
- Severe drought is reducing hay production and may eliminate first cuttings for some producers.
- Newly planted crops are less stressed than established pastures and forages.
County Comments Highlights (selected notes from impact and additional comments)
Avery
Pastures are down 60% in bulk, with many newly planted Fraser’s and ornamentals suffering; losses of 35% or greater expected.
Burke
Very dry, greatly affecting hay yields and grazing conditions.
Craven
Planting and other management delayed or altered due to continued lack of rainfall; soil subsoil moisture is nonexistent, so crops rely on rainfall to maintain growth.
Franklin
Drought has severely impacted hay and grasslands, and soybean planting has been put on hold due to conditions being too dry.
Montgomery
Farmers report delayed or suspended planting; irrigation ponds 3-4 ft below average, some private wells dry, wells slow, streams intermittent and low, with western side drier.
Caswell
Most grain producers have stopped planting due to drought, tobacco growers must irrigate before and after planting, pastures suffer, and hay and planting are low.
Lee
Very dry in Lee County despite Monday rain; pastures are dry, but irrigated produce looks good.
Hertford
Limited soil moisture now as warm temps forecast this week, with potential rainfall in our area from the end of the week through next.
Beaufort
We have received enough rain to get crops started, but we will need this pattern to change as crops grow and water demand increases.
County analysis as a list
View county analysis as a list
Exceptional Drought (1 county)
- Avery - Persistent drought / little change
Extreme Drought (8 counties)
- Burke - Persistent drought / little change
- Craven - Persistent drought / little change
- Franklin - Persistent drought / little change
- McDowell - Persistent drought / little change
- Montgomery - Persistent drought / little change
- Randolph - Persistent drought / little change
- Rowan - Persistent drought / little change
- Yancey - Persistent drought / little change
Severe Drought (6 counties)
- Caswell - Persistent drought / little change
- Duplin - Persistent drought / little change
- Gaston - Persistent drought / little change
- Johnston - Persistent drought / little change
- Lee - Persistent drought / little change
- Washington - Persistent drought / little change
Moderate Drought (6 counties)
- Camden - Persistent drought / little change
- Hertford - Persistent drought / little change
- Jones - Persistent drought / little change
- Moore - Persistent drought / little change
- Perquimans - Persistent drought / little change
- Swain - Persistent drought / little change
Abnormally Dry (2 counties)
- Beaufort - Persistent drought / little change
- Hyde - Persistent drought / little change
Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the May 17, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.